4 MAY 1918

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On Monday the enemy made a second attempt on a

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still greater scale. He attacked on the ten-mile front from Meteren, west of Bailleul, to Voormezeele, employing no fewer than thirteen divisions. Sir Douglas Haig entrusted the...

It may be that the enemy's effort south of the

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Somme was designed as a diversion. He may, on. the other hand, wish to deliver his sledge-hammer strokes alternately in the two salients. At any rate, on Thursday week he...

The tactical importance of Kemmel Hill is evident, but the

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mere possession of the hill by the enemy is not in itself decisive. It seems, indeed, that the hilltop is deluged with shells from the Allied batteries and with bombs and...

Sir Douglas Haig, who has had nothing to report since

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Monday night, has congratulated the 9th, 25th, 31st, 49th, 21st, and 19th Divisions of the Second Army on their magnificent performances, first in the battles south of Arras,...

It is difficult for the civilian to realize that the

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few curt lines of Sir Douglas Haig's despatch of Monday night described what in other wars would have been a very great battle and a very great victory. The mere statement that...

The enemy made his first attempt to push beyond Kemmel

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on Friday week. He attacked with great determination on a six-mile front from Locre, at the foot of Mont Rouge, past the Scherpcnberg and La Clytte, to the canal. He was firmly...

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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y F our fighting men at sea, on land, and in the air were in any need 1 of encourageinent to-day, they would find it, in full measure, in the letter from the Queen which was...

There was fierce fighting in the Amiens sector in the

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middle of ast week, but the enemy has struck his heaviest blows against he Franco-British front in Flanders. East of Amiens on Wed- nesday week the Germans had attacked in great...

THE PAPER SHORTAGE.

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TO OUR READERS.—The shortage of paper has obliged us to adopt the policy, already adopted by many of our contemporaries, of refusing to allow the " Spectator" to be "on sale...

Page 2

Mr. Lloyd George in answer to all the criticisms explained

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that, as General Trenehard had resigned and had not been dismissed, it was merely a question for Ministers whether it was wise to accept his resignation. The Cabinet asked...

The-House of Commons on Monday discussed the recent changes in

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the Air Service, and the Government gave no explanation what- ever of the most regrettable resignation of General Trenchard. We will not say that the loss of the inestimable...

It was announced on Wednesday that - Mr. Duke, after his

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brief and calamitous term of office as Chief Secretary for Ireland, had been appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in the room of Sir Charles Swinfen Eady, who was promoted to...

What then are we to say of the loss of

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such a man as General Trenchard in such circumstances ? As Sir Edward Carson declared, the Air Force-felt that with the departure of General Trenchard it had " lost its soul."...

The Admiralty announced on Tuesday that it had obtained proof

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of the fact that the hospital ship ' Guildford Castle' was deliberately attacked by an enemy submarine on March 10th in the Bristol Channel—well within the zone where Germany...

The resignations of Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of the Air

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Staff, and of Sir David Henderson, Vice-President of the Air Board, were followed on Thursday week by the resignation of Lord Rothermere, the Air Miniater. In a letter to the...

Mr. Macpherson, who has been Under-Secretary for War since Mr.

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Lloyd George formed his Ministry, has been appointed by Lord Milner to act as Vice-President of the Army Council and Deputy Secretary of State. Lord Derby held a similar...

Within a year of the capture of Baghdad, our military

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authorities have brought three hundred thousand acres of land in the Euphrates Valley under cultivation. Mr. Edmund Candler, the British Press representative with the Army,...

General Allenby on Tuesday began a new move against the

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Turks east of the Jordan. Our infantry moved due east to attach the enemy in the hills, while our cavalry, taking a north-easterly route, advanced within two miles of Es Salt,...

General Marshall in Mesopotamia began last week an advance in

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force along the caravan road leading northward from Baghdad by Deli Abbas - to MosuL Last Saturday he occupied Kifri, a hundred miles north of Baghdad. The Turks retired in...

Sir Harry Verney, who had just returned from the front,

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declared that from Sir Douglas Haig downwards there was " a universal feeling of disgust " in the Army at the dismissal—so apparently it is called out there—of General...

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The Report of Lord Balfour of Burleigh's Committee, appointed by

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Mr. Asquith in July, 1916, on Commercial and Industrial Policy after the War, was issued by the Ministry of Reconstruction on Friday week. A recommendation of major interest is...

We felt sure that the English Roman Catholics would not

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remain silent while the Irish Roman Catholic Bishops were stirring up sedition, without incurring the disapproval of the Vatican. The Council of the Catholic Union of Great...

We cannot leave the Air debate without saying something about

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the question how far Service Members of Parliament are entitled to use the military information they may have acquired for the purposes of debate. The Prime Minister argued that...

We can only hope that the appointment of great importance

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which the Government say they have in reserve for General 'frenchard will prove not only to be worthy of him, but one in which he can exercise all his talents to beat the...

Of course that principle has to be qualified, as indeed

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Lord Hugh Cecil himself qualified it, by saying that points of honour and delicacy must arise where a Member must be guided by his own sense of propriety and duty. Mr. Asquith...

We must not permit the true story of the finding

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in Trafalgar Square of an otherwise blank cheque, duly but prematurely signed by responsible officials of the Ministry of Munitions, or the much more serious disclosures in the...

A correspondent of the Times has called attention to the

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dual character of Vatican " neutrality." The Corriere d'Italia, the Papal organ, commenting on the zeal of the Irish Roman Catholic Bishops in fomenting opposition to...

after a debate in which the many defects of the

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scheme were exposed. The work of diverting water power from one Highland glen to another could not be undertaken in any case' till after the war, and no public advantage would...

Si A. D. Hall last week made the very gratifying

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announcement that we should have three million acres under wheat in England and Wales this year. This was the ideal which Sir• A. D. Hall used to set before a somewhat...

Mr. Lloyd George almost outdid his rivals in the art

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of panegyric ar praise of the services of General Trenchard in the field, but his praises do not console us very much. We cannot help remembering that all the other...

Bank rate, 5 per cent., changed from 5i per cent.

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April 5,1917.

Page 4

THE PRIME MINISTER'S PLEDGE. H ERE is Mr. Lloyd George's pledge

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to the people of North-East Ulster, made on March 7th, 1917 " In the north-eastern portion of Ireland you have a population as hostile to Irish rule as the rest of Ireland is to...

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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THE HISTORY OF MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S FIRST AND LAST (?) ADMINISTRATION.—I. Youoan fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool...

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THE ONLY WAY WITH IRISH CONSCRIPTION. T HE Government have fallen

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into serious di ffi culties with their Home Rule Bill, as we never doubted that they would. It was originally proposed that it should be introduced into the House of Commons on...

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REFORM OF THE SECOND CHAMBER.

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I AST week we had not space to do more than refer briefly to the preliminary Report of the Conference on the Reform of the Second Chamber, which was issued in the form of a...

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THE DISSIPATION OF MILLIONS. T HE Treasury has done a most.

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useful piece of work in issuing to the public an analysis of the way iu which the money voted in lump sums by the House of Commons for war credits is estimated to be spent in...

Page 8

THE PEACE OF INDIA.—II.

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HE violent language employed by Mrs. Besant's allies and their revolutionary demands inevitably caused alarm among the little body of Europeans in India. The British merchants...

Page 9

'1 HE SHORTAGE OF THANKS.

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W HERE animals are concerned it is pathetically true that little gifts foster great friendships. Before the food regu- lations all the beasts at the Zoo liked the...

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MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S PLEDGE.

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[To THE EDITCR or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—We have lost what has hitherto been a priceless asset : faith in the solemn promise of a British Minister given openly in the House...

AN IRISH " JEHAD."

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(To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."I Sia, — Your courageous articles in the Spectator of April 20th came as a breath of fresh air after the stupefaction induced by the...

ULSTER AND HOME RULE.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—I enclose a cutting from the Halifax, Nova Scotia, Recorder. This is a Protestant paper, and always has been. Have you courage enough...

IRELAND AND PROPAGANDA.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—I wonder that some attempt is not made to enlighten the vast majority of people in Ireland about the real methods of war- fare...

HOME RULE AND CONSCRIPTION.

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(To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—It is recognized in Great Britain with practical unanimity that in any scheme of Irish Home Rule or of Federation all military and...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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[Letters of the length of one of our leading paragraphs are often more read, and there/ore more effective, than those which Jill treble the space.] THE PAPACY AND THE IRISH...

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" THE OLD HOUSE."

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[To THE EDITOR or. THE " SPECTATOR. SIR,—I have been interested in reading. the letter contributed to the Spectator describing the late Mr. Henry Adams. To those who have had...

CONSCRIPTION FOR IRELAND.—A NORWEGIAN STORY. MO TEE EDITOR OF THE

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" SPECTETOR."1 SIa, — An• episode from the history of Norway may be worth relating at the present moment. In 1808, when Norway was being threatened by enemies on all sides,...

FARM TENANCIES.

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(To THZ EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR, — Referring to "Land Agent's" letter, if landlords are not to disturb their tenants for the period of the war, surely they them-...

THE LATE CAPTAIN MICHAEL CHAPMAN. [To ma EDITOR OF THE

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" SPECTATOR."] SIR, — Captain Michael Chapman's connexion with the Spectator emboldens me to write a few lines to you, from whom he received such kind and prompt encouragement...

THE ADAMS ST. GAUDENS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR, — In - the Spectator last week is a letter which tells us that the St. Gaudens in Washington is from henceforth the Adams monu-...

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A CORRECTION. [To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] SRS, —The

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Spectator of January 19th has arrived, and in it Mr. W. O'Brien's letter, " What Might Have Been. " I should like to correct a slip in military history. George II. did not cry...

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—Would "E. J.

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R." kindly tell a reader of the Spectator whether the sugar beet ought to be grated or peeled before boiling it 1 Of course, if grated or peeled this must be done over the pan...

[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Perhaps you might

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care to insert the following. The late Mr. Beatson, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, told me that he had as examiner for the ordinary degree received the following rendering. I...

THE SANCTITY OF INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTS.

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[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] Sia,—Nearly two thousand years ago I wrote:— " Quid tristes querimoniae, Si non supplicio culpa reciditur; Quid leges sine moribus...

' A GOLD AND SILVER COLLECTION.

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[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Only - the stern necessity for reinforcing the funds to aid the sick and wounded and our prisoners would justify a new appeal to the...

SUGAR BEET AS FOOD.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Fis,—I have been trying sugar beet in various ways, and find the following recipe quite successful: nib. sugar beet cut up into strips; 2...

POETRY.

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FOREIGN THOUGHTS FROM HOME IN THE SPRING. OH will you ever look the same again, Dear, lovely places that like lavender In meniory's.folds have lain, Fragrant when longings stir...

THE TRUE NAVAL SPIRIT.

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[To THE EDITOR Or THE "Sszersroa."] Sia, — In your " leader " in last Saturday's Spectator on" The True Naval Spirit " you say : " It required what the Duke of Welling- ton...

PRISONERS OF WAR : EDUCATIONAL APPEAL.

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[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.") FIR,—Will you kindly-allow me—in a few words—to thank those of your readers (and they not a few) who so generously responded to the...

" HOWLERS."

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[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—If your basket of chestnuts has not overflowed as yet, you may still have room for the following :—Pas du tout—Father of twins....

NOTICE.—When " Correspondence" or Articles are signed with the writer's

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name or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked " Communicated, " the Editor must not necessarily be held to be in agree- ment with the views therein expressed or with the...

Page 13

BRITISH CAMPAIGNS IN FLANDERS.•

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Mit. EORTESCUE'S fascinating book on our campaigns in Flanders from the days of William JII. to those of the Duke of York appearq at the right moment when our thoughts are once...

BOOKS.

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THE ENGLISH SONNET.* THERE have been many apologists for the sonnet, but Mr. Crosland is not one of them. He is its champion and eulogist.. All the critics, in his opinion,...

Page 14

A NEW VOLUME OF FABRE'S STUDIES.*

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HENRI FABRE did not always deal respectfully with his insects. They were his friends and brothers ; he loved and admired them passionately. But he had an impish nature. He liked...

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FICTION.

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ROBERT SHENSTONE.* Me. DawsoN's romance — the life-history- from childhood to marriage of a bookish boy who seeks his fortunes in London—pmients many familiar features, but...

READABLE NOVELS.—Love'8 Burden. By Margaret Peterson. (Hurst and Blackett. 68.)—The

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scene of this book is laid in India. The heroine, whose own matrimonial adventure is disastrous, is unable to withstnnd the intrigues of a most unscrupulous and irre- sponsible...

COLERIDGE'S "TABLE TALK."*

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A WELCOME new edition is that of Coleridge's Table Talk and Ontniana, together with Table Talk and extracts from letters from Allsop's Recollections. As a Preface is given an...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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[Notice in this column does not necessarily preclude subsequent revics.1 THE MAY MONTHLIES.—The Nineteenth Century opens with an excellent article on " The King and the War "...

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Syria and the Holy Land. By Sir George Adam Smith.

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(Hodder and Stoughton. Is. not.)—In this very able and interesting pam- phlet, furnished with two excellent maps, the Principal of Aberdeen University gives a short...

The English Historical Review for April contains an admirable memoir

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by Mr. E. Armstrong of Signor Pasquale Villari, the great Italian historian and patriot, who died last December at the age of ninety. He was well known the world over as the...

The " Times " Documentary History of the War. Vols.

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IV. and V. (15s. net each.)—The new volumes of this invaluable collection of Allied and enemy official documents relating to the war form the second part of the naval section,...

We may draw attention to the valuable Report of the

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expert Committee appointed by the Prime Minister to inquire into the position of modern languages in our educational system, which has been published by the Stationery Office,...

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. With a Translation by

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Courtney Langdon. Vol. I., Inferno. (H. Milford. 10s. ed. net.)— Mr. Langdon, an American scholar who was, he tells us, born and educated in Italy, has produced the first part...

Some Suggestions in Ethics. By Bernard Bosanquet. (Macmillan and Co.

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Os. net.)—Dr. Bosanquet's ingenious and readable little essays are intended to serve " ordinarily thoughtful persons who are interested in reflecting upon morality." " How is...

Twenty Poems from Rudyard Kipling. (Methuen and Co. Is. net.)—Mr.

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Kipling's posy of twenty poems gathered from his works will be very welcome, especially to our sailors and soldiers on active service. His choice includes " Gunga Din "—but...

Page 17

Peace of Mind : Essays and Reflections, August, 1914—September, 1911.

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(A. Melrose. 3s. Gd. net.)—Peace of Mind is an anonymous collection of " brief essays and fragments." It is charmingly written, and suggests a practised hand. The author seeks...